Abu Dhabi: Sustainability leaders from across the United Arab Emirates convened at the fifth Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Forum in the nation’s capital today. The Forum, organised by the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG), aims to foster and promote sustainable development, innovation, and responsible business growth.

Around 200 local business leaders participated in a range of workshops, meetings and plenary sessions to inspire them to integrate the ethos of sustainable practices into corporate decision-making. The Forum helps in articulating a vision for how organisations can deal with issues such as long-term access to natural resources with ever increasing environmental and ecosystem degradation, how they can mitigate those risks to build a more sustainable future, as well as the role of investors within that context.

The two-day Forum, which is supported by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) and sponsored by Dolphin Energy Limited and Etihad Airways as official airline partner, emphasises the importance of moving away from the traditional linear economic model to a more circular economy model that focuses on ensuring that products and materials are being used with minimal waste and the highest regard for the conservation of our precious resources.

During the event, which was attended by Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD’s Acting Secretary General, ADSG launched its Natural Capital Flagship Programme report. The initiative, which is a joint collaboration between ADSG and the Natural Capital Coalition, aims to increase the understanding of the benefits of factoring in natural capital in decision-making, and to support regional organisations in applying the concept of natural capital through the Natural Capital Protocol which was launched in 2018. The initiative is geared towards supporting the shift of Abu Dhabi businesses and government entities towards more sustainable and resilient operations to minimise the environmental costs and ensure long-term business success in the future.

Delivering the keynote remarks, Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD’s Acting Secretary General, said: “The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group is an excellent platform to share ideas and challenge our current business thinking in order to support organisations to make pertinent changes towards becoming viable and sustainable businesses of tomorrow’s economy. People, planet and profits are more entwined today than ever before, and our businesses are central to achieving the global sustainability goals. For the UAE, economic diversification and sustainable development go hand-in-hand, and as we build for the future and the stability of an interconnected ecosystem, our priorities must favour the resiliency of the world and its natural resources.

“The UAE Government, in cooperation with the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, recently become the first signatory to the ‘Scale 360’ initiative – a very proud moment for our nation. This innovative concept leverages Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to minimise waste by designing recyclable and renewable goods to achieve an efficient use of natural resources – thus promoting a model for a circular economy. In order to fully embrace this concept, we need a stronger emphasis on public-private partnerships to develop advanced innovation for sustainable business development,” Her Excellency added.

Moreover, organisations and individuals championing sustainability in UAE were also recognised at the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Awards held last night. Organised by ADSG, the awards are the region’s only independent annual awards for sustainability achievements with six award categories: Best Sustainability Report, Best Sustainability Initiative, Sustainability Leader of the Year, Sustainability Manager of the Year, Best Sustainability Communication Programme and Best Energy Management Initiative, which is judged by the Independent Energy Institute.

The judging panel – comprising of the foremost experts in the field of sustainability, included Dr. Jenny Davidson, Senior Lecturer, Leader Development and Organisation Futures, Newcastle University Business School; Dr. Marilena Vecco, Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship at Burgundy Business School; and Jason Lewis, Author and Adventurer. The nominees were evaluated on a strong commitment to sustainability by embracing innovative approaches and showing a clear understanding of the strategic importance of sustainability in their organisations. In addition, Will Sadler, Head of International Operations at Energy Institute and Chris Burgess CEng., MEI also assessed entries for the ‘Best Energy Management Initiative’ category.

Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) was awarded Best Sustainability Report, for effectively documenting its environmental, social and economic performance.

The Best Sustainability Initiative was won by the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), The SBRC was established by Masdar Institute, which later became part of the Khalifa University, with Etihad Airways, Boeing and Honeywell UOP. The founding members were later joined by ADNOC Refining, along with Safran, General Electric, and Bauer Resources. The SBRC is an excellent example of an industrial collaboration to promote technology and innovation in sustainability, specifically in biofuels and sustainable alternative energy supplies.

Gus Schellekens, MENA Leader (Partner) for Ernst & Young Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) picked up the award for Sustainability Leader of the Year for clearly showing how he has led his organisation with sustainability challenges and opportunities at the forefront.

Eng. Mohammed Masadeh, Associate Director/ Senior MEP Projects Manager  - Mace International Limited, was awarded Sustainability Manager of the Year for his ability to identify and integrate sustainability-related opportunities into corporate practice.

The award for Best Sustainability Communication Programme went to “Zayed's Antarctic Lights” Documentary that chronicles the UAE ‘Year of Zayed’ adventure of three Ambassadors from Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi to Antarctica - aptly named Team Zayed - to learn about Antarctica’s biodiversity, the global challenge of climate change and the issue of single-use plastics.

The Best Energy Management Initiative was awarded to the Rotana Park & Park Arjaan by Rotana Abu Dhabi for their actions taken to improve the energy efficiency in their complex.

During the Awards Ceremony, ADSG also launched its Energy Flagship Pilot Project Report, which compiles the results of the a pilot project that combined knowledge sharing, skills development and awareness raising activities at Al Mamoura Building to implement energy efficiency improvements, and used the outcomes to demonstrate the value of energy efficiency to make more sustainable energy choices and reduce their carbon emissions.

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About the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG)
The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) is a membership organisation whose mission is to promote sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government, private companies and not for profit organisations in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue. The ADSG was set up by EAD in 2008, with the support of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, as a forum of members who have signed the ADSG Declaration, committing to adopt best practices of sustainability management and reporting and to actively participate in ADSG activities. The ADSG is open to new members willing to practice and champion sustainability in Abu Dhabi in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue www.adsg.ae

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© Press Release 2019

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